Heat-motor



F. A. RAFF EL.

HEAT MOTOR. APPLICATION man Nov. 8. 1911.

Patented July 22, 1919.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- War 6556a THE COLUMBIA PLANouRAmg co., WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT onnron.

FERDINAND A. RAFFEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR TO WILLIAM J'. H. STRONG,.

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HEAT-MOTOR.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 22, 1919.

To all whom it may concern: I e I Be it known that I, FERDINAND A. RAFFEL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new, useful,

and Improved Heat-Motor; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

v My invention relates to improvements in heat motors and has special reference to such motors for driving ventilating fans.

. The object of my invention is to increase the efiiciency of such motors; to reduce the internal friction; to increase the speed without increasing the fuel consumption, and generally to provide a heat motor which shall give better results than have been produced heretofore.

A further object of my invention is to provide a combined fan and heat motor in which the heat from the motor will not perceptibly raise the'temperature oft the air driven by the fan and which motor will be socooled by the action of the fan as to increase the efiiciency of the motor.

My invention consists in a heat motor having a workingcylinder at its lower end, a shaft housing at its upper end, the two parts joined by an elongated spacing cylinder which serves as an extended heat radiator for the working cylinder, an elongated connecting rod extending through said spacing cylinder and operatively connecting the shaft and working piston and displacer of the engine. a r a I My invention also consists in several features of construction and in the combinations and arrangements of parts and devices by means of which I am enabled to attain the the motor, the fan being shown in side elevation.-

Fig. 2,is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are detail horizontal sections on the lines 3+3 and H, respectively, of Fig. 1. a a i In said drawings 1 is a shaft housing in which the horizontal shaft 2 is mounted in bearings 3 and 4. A ventilating fan 5 is secured upon one outer end of the shaft 2.

Below the shaft housing I provide a working cylinder 6 in which the piston 7 works up and down. I space the shaft housing and working cylinder apart and join them by means of an elongated cylindrical casing 8. I provide the upper end of the casing 8 with a circumferential flange 9 upon which I mount and to which I secure the shaft housing 1, and I provide its lower end with a similar flange 10 to which I secure the upper end of the working cylinder 6. Preferably I make the casing 8 of such a length that its lower end 11 is substantially the same distance from the shaft 2 as theouter ends of the wings 12 of the fan 5. Consequently the flow of air to the fan, when the same is rotating, passes around the extension casin and not around the working cylinder whic 1 is out of the direct flow of air.

I extend the lower end of the working cylinder by means of a sheet metal extension 13 closed at its lower end and adapted to have its lower end heated by means of a burner 14, in the instance shown, being an alcohol burner, secured upon a fuel font 15.

To support the fan and motor I provide a skeleton base 16 secured at its upper end to the working cylinder and having wide spread feet 17 at its lower end upon which it rests. The font 15 is supported at a proper height below the closed end of the cylinder and in alinement therewith by yielding supports 16 adapted to engage the periphery of the font.

Within the cylinder extension 13 I provide an elongated displacer 19 which is adapted to reciprocateup and down therein and displace the hot air from the lower end thereof to the upper end, that is, to the space between the displacer and the piston 7.

The efliciency of such a motor depends mainly upon the difference in temperature whiclrit is possible to unaintain between the lower end of the extension 13 and the working cylinder 6. But it is disadvantageous to place the working cylinder in the direct path of the flow of air to the fan and thereby cool the same, as this tends to the projection from the fan of a strata of perceptibly hot air in the lower part of the moving body of air.

On the other hand, the elongated cylindrical extensionS servesto conduct the heat from the upper end of the working cylinder and thereby cool the same and at the same time affords such an extended area for the cooling action of the air flowing to the fan that no perceptible strata of hot air is projected from the fan.

The displacer is guided by a central piston rod 20 which is secured to its upper end' and extends through a central guide opening in theipiston 7. This rod 20 extends but a short distance above the upper surface of the piston 7 and I operatively join the upper end of the piston rod 20 with the shaft 2 by an elongated connecting rod 21 by means of which the angularity of the rod and the consequent side thrust of the piston .rod 20 on the piston 7 is reduced to a very small quantity. Likewise I operatively join the piston 7. to shaft 2 by means of a connecting rod 22'. This rod likewise extends through substantially the whole length of the extension cylinder 8 and connects at its lower end with the upper end of the piston 7 so that it likewise has a very small angular displacement.

g This construction results in the reduction ofjthe working friction due to the force which is transmitted between the piston and displacer and shaft 2, to a practical minimum, and the consequent increase of the effective power produced by the motor.

Ihe principal result is that I am-ena-bled to lncrease the speed of the fan 5 considerably above that which was formerly the maximum speed and without any increase in the consumption of fuel; or I am enabled to maintain I the former maximum speed with the consumption'of less fuel.

The increase in the efficiency is thus very marked and noticeable. V

For convenience in oiling the connecting rod 20 and the connection 23 of the rod 22 with the piston 7 I provide a vertically elongated opening 24 in the lower end of the extension 8.

To avoid any necessity of finishing the inner surface of the lower end 11 of the extension cylinder 8, I make it slightly larger in internal diameter than the outer diameter of the piston 7 so that the piston can freely rise therein.

To cover the opening 24: I preferably provide a spring sheet metal cover 25 which rests at its lower edge on flange 10 and is formed to clasp the lower end 11 of the extension cylinder 8. This cover can be readily pushed around the extension 8 to :cover or uncover the opening 25.

ing the housing and Working cylinder apart,

said casing extending below said shaft approximately the radius-of saidfan whereby the working cylinder is below the direct draft of air flowing to the fan.

2. In a combined heat motor and fan, a shaft .housing, a shaft rotatably mounted therein, a fan secured to one outer end of the shaft, a working cylinder below (the shaft housing, a hollow casing joining the working cylinder and the housingand spacing them apart, said casing being substantially wholly within and the working cylinder substantially wholly without the direct flow of air to the fan.

3. Ina heat motor, a Working cylinder 1 at its lower end, a shaft housing at its upper end, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted therein, an elongated cylindrical housing joining the working cylinder and the shaft housing and spacing them apart, a.piston in the working cylinder, a displacer below the piston, connecting rods extending through said elongated housing operatively connectspecific structures Ellen-3111.

ing thepiston and the displacer to the shaft,

the elongated housing having an opening in its wall through which the lower ends of the connecting rods can be oiled, and a guard plate covering said-opening and shiftable touncover the same.

4. Ina heat motor, a working cylinder at its lower end, a shaft housing at its upper end, .a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted therein, an elongated cylindrical housing joining the Working cylinder and the shaft housing and spacing them apart, a piston in the working cylinder, a displacer'below the piston, an elongated connecting rod connected directly to said piston and operatively connected with said shaft, a piston rod rigid with the displacer and extending through the piston, an elongated connecting rod connected at its lower end with the upper end of said piston rod and at ,its

upper end operatively connected with said shaft, said elongated connecting rods extending through said elongated cylindrical housing, a Vertically elongated opening in the lower end of said casing through which the piston rod and the lower connections of the connecting rods can be oiled, and a spring guard embracing the lower end of said casing for covering said opening and shiftable to uncover the same. 1 In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day of October, A. D.

FERDINAND A. RAFFEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

